May
06
K2 Year End Slideshow
By Tim Choi
Hey Guys If you missed the slideshow, or if you wanted to watch it again, look no further!
Apr
02
Crosstalk Special Talk!
By Tim Choi
Come this Thurs at 7:30pm, 10 Evans for a special talk hosted by our very own Crosstalk! The topic for this week's special talk will be did Jesus really rise from the dead? Feel free to come by and invite your friends that might be interested!
Mar
11
Crosstalk - Is the Bible Reliable?
By Tim Choi
Is the Bible Reliable? That will be the focus of Crosstalk's special talk this Thursday. Come hear from Crosstalk as they cover the different evidences for the reliability of the bible! Feel free to invite any friends that might be interested in this as well!
Feb
01
Feb
01
Course 101
By Tim Choi
Course 101 is a six-week course designed to give an overview of Christianity by taking a look at many of the common questions people have regarding God, Jesus, the Bible, and life. It's a very flexible course, and is designed for students to take alongside varying course loads. If you're interested in taking this course, please talk to one of the staff or sign up below! Loading...
Aug
17
E-news
By Nicholas Yoo
Want to find out more about what's happening here at Koinonia? Check out our Lifegroups and sign up for E-news to get the latest updates on upcoming events!
Sep
05
Office Hours with Pastor Jonathan and Susanna
By Tim Choi
Pastor Jonathan and Susanna are hosting office hours for students on Fridays from 2-5pm. This is a great chance to get to know them better, ask questions, or get advice. They'd love to get to know you and help you along in your spiritual journeys!
Sep
06
TFN this Friday
By Tim Choi
Join us this Friday for our weekly THE FRIDAY NIGHT. It'll be a good time to see each other again and study the word of God. And as usual: GOOD FOOD! Hope to see you there!
May
06
Study Hard for Finals! Koinonia + Klesis Collaboration
By Lydia Kim | 7 comments
Hello Koinonia, The Koinonia and Klesis web teams collaborated to make an encouraging and inspirational video from the senior class for finals. Study hard everyone and finish the semester strong! Enjoy:
Apr
26
K2 Sierra Lodge Trip!
By Lydia Kim | 1 comment
Hello Koinonia! Last weekend, K2 went to Sierra Lodge. Check out the video recap made by Mikey below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMadUzoEwRc
Apr
15
Koinonia Farewell
By Stacy Spiva | 2 comments
I derived my very own math equation to summarize what went down for our very special TFN: K1 + K2 = KOINONIA REUNITED Although Koinonia was split into K1 and K2 earlier this year, we reunited together in order to hold a farewell for Pastor Jonathan and Susanna as they move down to Texas to lead our Gracepoint Austin Church. It was nice being together once again to see the many familiar and new faces. As we shared many laughs and smiles, it was like coming together for one big happy family reunion. After eating a delicious meal and catching up with one another, we started the night with a special time of praise. Pastor Jonathan then gave a stirring last TFN message. He covered Genesis 42-45 and explained how we are a part of the spiritual lineage where the righteous are those who disadvantage themselves to advantage the community. Just as Judah finally comes to understand the heart of the Father, I was struck by how we need to live our lives in such a way where we understand the heart of God. I was especially inspired by the clip Pastor Jonathan showed of Jason Lezak finishing the Olympic gold medal winning relay race with all of his might. I was challenged by how we need to run this spiritual race of receiving and passing the baton of the gospel in such a way to carry on the spiritual lineage that we have. Afterwards, we transitioned into the farewell party where we had a massive dessert potluck with loads and LOADS of delicious sweets. The entire quiet room was filled with delicacies of sugary goodness. YUUUMMMMYYY!!! How well do YOU know Pastor Jonathan and Susanna? Well, in order to test our knowledge about them, we had a trivia game show testing our knowledge on how well we know them. We were asked questions like “How many people can one tray of orange chicken from Peking Express feed?” and “How many ministry groups have they lead in Berkeley?” It was funny listening to some ridiculous answers, but I was also blessed to learn more about all that they have done to serve during their time in Berkeley and about the awesome skills that they utilize to serve. hAhA! Check out all of the laughs and smiles that were shared. We then watched a special Koinonia farewell video and heard many heartfelt and honest sharings from several people about all of the ways Pastor Jonathan and Susanna have blessed their lives. The night ended after hearing some encouraging words from Pastor Jonathan and Susanna. I’m so thankful for how we are able to be a part of the same lineage where we can share the same vision and work together for the kingdom of God. Thank you Pastor Jonathan and Susanna for all you’ve done!!! We’ll miss you and we’ll be praying for you! Hook ‘em Horns!!!
Apr
12
Where and When God was at his BEST! (Good Friday and Easter Recap)
By Joseph Lim-Effendy
As I sit in my Astro C10 lecture reflecting on God and all his creation, I can’t help but imagine how great and creative our God is. Space is so vast, so beautiful, so full of God’s creativity – it’s hard to imagine that this isn’t when it was at his best. Despite his grandeur in nature, this past weekend we were reminded of where God was truly at his best. This past Good Friday, Koinonia, along with all the other ministry group, sojourned to Kofman Auditorium to have a time where we reflected upon the death of Jesus Christ. This year I was once again struck by the fact that my sin sent Jesus to die on the Cross for me to give me salvation, and instead of me being on the Cross, there was Jesus instead. Pastor Ed gave a riveting and insightful message about “being there at Christ’s death”, and initially I was super perplexed at his deep insight. Pastor Ed reminded me that I was indeed there on the Cross with Jesus and I was there when Jesus arose 3 days later on Easter, and it’s because of this that I can also have a new resurrected life with him. On Sunday, we returned to Kofman Auditorium for Easter service. We started off worship with one of my favorite songs off the new Hillsong album - Relentless. Here is a picture to emphasize how hipster the song is. Praise: But in the necessary seriousness of Easter, we started off the message with a beautifully handcrafted video that recognized different times when God could have been at his best, but revealed when God was at his best at the end of the video. Hands: God is at his best at every salvation that has perpetuated across the centuries, and God continues to be at his best today! Pastor Ed presented a message on the Year of Jubilee, and how Jesus came to forgive us our debts and give us that jubilee in our lives, but we need to receive him in order for the jubilee to occur. Imagine if we had a Year of Jubilee in these modern times, I would have no debt for college...too bad for me. I’m still gonna be in debt in some ways... Pastor Ed Easter: Thank God for Christ’s Death so we can have this grand reversal in our lives and experience jubilee! I can’t wait for next year’s Good Friday and Easter service! Special shout out to my sound, video, pro-pre, and everyone else who made Good Friday and Easter possible! You guys are the best! Sound People:
Apr
03
Spring Break Trips
By Lydia Kim | 1 comment
Over spring break, the K1 and K2 sisters went on trips to Monterey. We had a lot of fun biking, playing and eating on the beach. Check out the pictures on our flickr! K2 sisters represent in Monterey!
Mar
19
Baptism Sunday
By Stacy Spiva | 2 comments
While all of us lost an hour of sleep because of Daylight Savings, we were able to spring forward into the joyous celebration of baptism Sunday where 10 beloved brothers and sisters were baptized - 7 of whom were from Koinonia’s K2 group. Yayayay!!! We were able to get a quick glimpse into how God has actively been at work in each of the candidates’ lives through the special testimonial video where each candidate was able to share a part of their testimony. It was amazing to see the progression of changes these precious brothers and sisters went through as they shared their struggles and lives without God, how they came to know Him, and how the course of their lives have changed after submitting their lives to Him. It’s truly by the grace and power of God that such transformations can take place. Be sure to ask them to share their whole stories if you get a chance. It’s always a joyous occasion to see the people we love take that step of obedience to declare their lives for the Lord, and it’s such a blessing to celebrate this special day with them as they place a new spiritual marker in their lives. Here’s Stephen proudly declaring his life to the Lord. Here are the newly baptized sisters of Irene and Ester’s LifeGroup. Dawww, sho cute!!! Check out Douglas’ awesometastic poster that his peers made for him. The hand-drawn picture in the middle is strikingly accurate as even the design of Douglas’ signature jacket is precisely portrayed. hAhA! Such a precious gift! Congratulations again to Douglas, Stephen, Alyssa, Crystal, Frances, Bobbi, and Kimberly! It’s an amazing testament to see how God is actively working in each and every one of your lives!
Feb
26
Sisters Night 2013 | Beloved Daughter
By Jen Kim | 1 comment
Sup Koin? Last week, the Brothers and Sisters split up to have their own special, gender-specific Bible Studies and fellowship times. To me, Sisters’ Night is synonymous with a couple of things: 1) A LOT OF GIRLS – all the sisters in our church (cross-ministries and generations, Element Middle School to Praxis staff) get together for food, fun and fellowship … approximately 550 ladies showed up. Wowzaaa 2) AMAZING FOOD – Praxis, our church’s graduate student/(young) adult ministry, is full of amazing cooks and bakers. They poured out their love prepared an amazing potluck for all their younger sisters. I really enjoyed the baby-back ribs and kalbi jjim. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of the meat to drool over, but here’s a snip-it of what was there (this was just one of the dessert tables) 3) POWERFUL MESSAGES – Susanna and Hope (2 long-time members at our church) shared their life stories/testimonies/walks with God. It’s through sharings like theirs where God’s faithfulness is often re-confirmed for me. And Kelly thought that it’d be a good idea to hear what it means to be a “Beloved Daughter” from a Father’s perspective, so P. Ed was brave enough to be the odd man out (ha ha ha…) and share a message with the sisters about how women have a powerful, instinctive drive to preserve life (we’re kinda unstoppable in that way. Ever tried getting between a mama bear and her cub? Yea, thought so..). However, we are often driven by fear, so P. Ed encouraged us to not be driven by fear, but rather by love—to be like the women of Exodus – Shiprah, Puah, Miriam and the Pharoah’s daughter – to conspire together in order to save lives. Our significance and self-worth does not come from a man’s love, but from God’s. Susanna Hope Smiley Kelly P. Ed! (The picture in the background is of him and his daughter when she was just a tot!) 4) MEETING THE FAMILY – One thing I love about Sister’s Night is meeting so many new people of different years and ministries. This might sounds a lot like my first point, but it’s different! This is a more relational and personal point. At my table (#32 represent!), there were sisters from Kairos, Koin, Impact, and A2F. We ate together and shared our lives before and after knowing Christ (or where we think we’re going if we haven’t reached that point yet). AND the older sisters in Praxis gave gifts to their younger college sisters, along with a message & passage that was personal to them. Yeaaaa, so Sister’s Night is pretty special. Hope you were there! If not, hope I’ll see you there next year! Unless you’re a guy, then that’d be weird. Unless you’re the pastor giving a message, then I know you’re just there for our food. Teehee. Hope you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like this— Later Koin!
Feb
25
Caption Contest
By Koinonia Administrator | 1 comment
Hello fellow Koinon-ites! Are you creative, witty, or even “punny”? We’re going to kick off a new caption contest this semester where you can flaunt your wits against your friends and peers. After a week, these captions will be objectively judged, and the winner is going to receive a prize. Awesome, huh? To participate, all you need to do is to leave a comment of your caption. That’s it! So let’s begin; here’s our first picture to caption: Gotta admire those snow bricks.
Feb
15
Spring Welcome Night(s)
By Joseph Lim-Effendy | 4 comments
Featuring: Kenneth Balibalos J: This Spring 2013 semester, Koinonia split into K1 and K2. It’s bittersweet not being together, but we MUST learn to stand divided. Strength is not in numbers, but in the individuals that make up the whole. Deep. K: Yo dude, stop being so dramatic...It’s not like anyone left. We’re still going to do things together. We’re still the same Koinonia, but with double the food, double the fun, and double the trouble....AND isn’t it awesome to have all the classes represented under one roof? It sure reminds me of the days when Albert beat me up as a freshman. J: Yeah, you’re right, I just miss you guys so much. Anyways, here’s a recap of what went down. KB start us off! K: We were welcomed with a feast to kick off Spring Welcome Night, complete with authentic cuisine, like fried chicken from Kentucky, sushi from Japan, kimchi fried something from Korea, and express orange chicken from Peking..... I was highly impressed with the pork belly, roasted pig, and slow-roasted pork. With deafening conversations where people shouted to be heard, and amazing food filling our stomachs, we soon drifted into a semi-delirious, semi-conscious food coma state. Good thing we had Josh give an impassioned Bible Study on our desire for greatness but our need for soul healing through Naaman’s story as told in 2 Kings 5. Naaman’s drive for healing from his leprosy, despite being a man of valor, recognition and achievement parallels our own desire for healing but how we often focus on the external rather than the internal. He challenged us to make small steps of obedience and listen for God’s simple commands in our everyday life and to experience a healing of the soul for ourselves. With that, we were blessed with a special song, driving home the point that Jesus is where the healing begins and where the light meets the dark. J: K2 sounds like it was blessed by such authentic cuisine and spiritual food. Man truly does not live on Peking Express or KFC alone....however, some DL'ers may disagree. We started off our time with a burrito dinner and ice breakers lead by K1’s very own, Chris. We then sojourned in the New Testament where Wilson gave a hearty message on John 8:2-11. The Junior class started us off with a skit showing the different blemishes that our hearts are stained with as we live our life and sin. Wilson followed up with the message that spoke of the shame and guilt of sin that we all try to hide, however, the blemishes on our heart still remain. Wilson focused on Christ’s forgiveness of the woman, and undeniable fact that Jesus is the only one that can save us from our sins. K: I saw some of the juniors practicing for that skit. I’m glad it worked out and was able to set the stage for the message. To end the night, we broke into teams and built our own Cardboard Knights. We quickly imagined and designed our own interpretations of what it truly meant to be a warrior for God and with a limited supply of tape and cardboard, too. Many teams created their own version of a breastplate of righteousness, a helmet of salvation or a shield of faith....and it would be put to the test against a legion of sisters armed with pillows. Undaunted, our warriors -- the Tin Man, Super Jesus, and the Asian Warrior-- strode valiantly forward and endured whomping as they proved the strength of their armor, their mettle, and their courage. At the end of it all, the seniors reigned victorious proving that they truly are on fire for God (and perhaps Taiwanese-made means better quality). J: Oh man that looked like sooooooo much fun! Who knew that recycled paper could yield so much fun among college students! As you guys took over DL, we took over an entire bowling alley (literally.) for our friday night! We had a great time knocking down some pins, fellowshipping, and taking pictures some which are belowwwwww... K: It’s great to see that K1 had a wonderful time at Spring Welcome Night. J: And it seems like K2 had TOO much fun, TOO much food, and TOO much asian-made products at their spring welcome night. K: Anyways, I hope it was a great way to kick of this Spring semester. I’m really excited in what God has in store for us.
Feb
13
Sister's Night & Brother's Night
By Brandon Chen
This Friday (2/15), Koinonia brothers and sisters will be meeting separately to have a special time of bonding. The sisters will be meeting at HB at 7:30, and will have a time of dinner, fellowship, sharing, and something special from the older sisters. Here's a trailer about sister's night: Meanwhile, the brothers...get something awesome! Contact your staff for details on where to go! Don't miss out on this special/awesome event!
Feb
13
Valentine's Day of Compassion
By Brandon Chen
This upcoming Thursday, we'll be having our annual Valentine's Day of Compassion. Here's a trailer on what VDOC is all about. VDOC was started by some of our sisters who wanted to reclaim Valentine's Day as a day of true love, instead of just a day about romantic love. On Valentine's Day each year, we go out to show love to those who are forgotten by the world, and experience the true meaning of love. If you haven't signed up yet, contact your staff! Hope to see all of you there!
Feb
05
FRESHMEN HOTSPOTS!
By Tim Choi | 2 comments
Hey Freshmen! We're having another round of HOTSPOTS (hang out time spots)! This week we're celebrating CHINESE NEW YEAR! Don't worry, you don't have to be Chinese, you just have to be a freshmen :) Invite your friends! For Chris/Vivian/Jesse/Annie, John/Sheri, and Wilson/Beck's Lifegroups- We'll be meeting in Alameda at 7PM for Frosh Chinese New Year Dinner Pickups will be at 630PM on Haste side of Underhill For Josh/Jacqui, Joe/Irene, and Steve/Robin/Frances' Lifegroups- We'll be meeting at DL at 7PM for Chinese New Year dumpling making and games! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment OR contact your staff! see you there~
Jan
29
Spring Welcome Night
By Brandon Chen
Hello everyone! It's a new semester, and we want to kick it off with our Spring Welcome Night happening this Friday at 7pm! Don't miss out on free dinner and Bible Study! There will be an awesome skit too! Spring Welcome Night will be located at two different locations: 155 Dwinelle or Durant Loft, so be sure to ask your staff or friends to find out which one you should go to!
Dec
16
Happy Winter Break!
By Brandon Chen
Congrats everyone for finishing finals and surviving a semester at Berkeley! Hope everyone is enjoying their winter break! Some important dates to remember for this Winter Break: Gracepoint Winter Institute: January 2-5 (Sign Up Here!) Domestic Winter Mission Trips: January 9-13 Winter Retreat: January 19-21 (Sign Up Here!) Also, don't forget about our Christmas Challenge to share the good news of the Gospel with someone this break!
Dec
07
Baptism Sunday
By Stacy Spiva | 1 comment
“Ooohhh happy day, happy dayyy~ You washed my sin away~” This past Sunday was a very happy and special service as we got to celebrate the baptism of 20 precious brothers and sisters – 9 of whom were from Koinonia! Baptism is always an exciting day as we get to witness the people that we love take that concrete step of faith to publically declare their submission to God. It’s a time of celebration as we hear their stories and admire all of the ways in which God has been at work in their lives. As we listened to Alec and Lucy’s salvation testimonies, we were able to get a glimpse at their personal journey and walk with God. I couldn’t help but be amazed by how God has faithfully been at work in their lives as they each shared their stories of experiencing brokenness and of living a life apart from God. I was so blessed to hear their stories and to see how Christ has changed the trajectory of their lives. As I could personally relate to their stories, I was brought back to remember my salvation and my testimony as well. Thank you Alec and Lucy for sharing so vulnerably. Praise be to God for his faithfulness in your lives! There was also a special element in which we were able to hear from all of the baptism candidates about what God has done for them in their lives. It was so amazing to hear from them one by one about all of the ways that God has blessed them and brought them to their salvations. Man, God is so good! We then proceeded with the dunking as we saw each of the candidates confidently and joyfully declare their confession of faith in front of the entire church. They were then submerged into the water to symbolically represent the washing away of their sins and becoming a new creation in Christ. Look how renewed and refreshed they look. Afterwards, we congratulated and showered the already showered baptism candidates with lots flowers, cards, posters, fruits, treats and hugs. Here’s a shot of the 8 juniors that got baptized along with their peers and leaders. Here’s Senior, Yuvadee with her LifeGroup. It was great celebrating this special day with all of the candidates whom we personally know. Praise the Lord for He is good!!! Congratulations to all of the baptism candidates!!! Woooohoooo!!!